


One date to rule them all

by Yuna_Suno



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged Up, Best Date Ever, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, University AU, i guess I'll add more later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27347485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuna_Suno/pseuds/Yuna_Suno
Summary: So, I tried to do this one challenge I saw on pinterest, where you’re supposed to pick the 5th book in your shelf, go to page five and use the 5th line as a starter or, I guess, you could just use it anywhere.Anyway, I used The Death Cure by James Dasher, and got this line:“No, he’d need to plan out every detail before he made his move.”This story was also inspired by the german talk-show host Klaas Heufer-Umlauf and his efforts of helping a random dude have the best date in existence.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Kudos: 4





	1. Of heartache and forging plans

**Author's Note:**

> Something I found hiding in the depths of my laptop.

### Of heartache and forging plans

Winter nights at a college dorm could be one of two things: either you’re enjoying the warmth of your room, the soft texture of your favourite blanket rubbing against your cheek as you bury yourself so deep into it that only the upper part of your head sticks out, all while cradling a cup of hot chocolate in your hands and watching the show you’re currently into, or you’re completely and utterly stressing out over either a litany of oncoming exams that they kept cramming into a single week, or you’re crying over your non-existent or problematic love life. 

For Kuroo, it definitely was the latter of the two options, not that it was a surprise to him, seeing as this way of spending his winters seemed to be the standard for him, anyway.

Maybe the reason behind his misery was that he was just too good looking, too smart, too funny, all in all just totally unapproachable for potential partners because he seemed just a tad too perfect. He’d once told his roommate Yaku as much but was immediately shut down by his long-time friend, who was convinced that Kuroo just had a very particular taste, incredibly high and unreachable standards along with a complete lack of tact when it came to flirting.

Three years back, it was Yaku who had suggested for the two of them to apply for a shared dorm room when they started university and Kuroo had happily agreed. Even though he was an open person who had no trouble making friends, knowing he didn’t have to start this new chapter in life all on his own took a great weight off his shoulders. Still, he sometimes kind of wished he’d have literally any other roommate than Yaku, and the other telling him off for having a type certainly was one of those moments.

But he had to admit that Yaku had a point there, that Kuroo really _did_ have very high standards and the people who seemed to meet them were all out of the black haired boy’s league. That would at least explain why Kuroo _wasn’t_ currently curled up on his bed, _wasn’t_ wrapped in a soft blanket and certainly _wasn’t_ enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. No, instead he found himself bent over his desk at two in the morning, frantically scribbling nearly undecipherable words onto a piece of paper before crossing them out, only to start from scratch once more.

If you asked Kuroo, this was totally warranted behaviour, taking into account his current plans. If you asked anybody else, mainly Akaashi, it was a sign of Kuroo slowly but surely losing both his sanity and dignity.

“Akaashi doesn’t know shit, though. This is going to be my master plan and nothing can stop me.” Kuroo mumbled to himself as he scribbled down yet another line. In his eyes, what lay before him on the table was a step-by-step manual on how to get The Guy, and he’d prove to everybody that Kuroo actually was able to get a date or he’d die trying.

What brought on this new wave of desperation coupled with a pinch of early midlife crisis and a tea spoon of loneliness, one might ask? Why, this question was easy to answer, but the roots of the reason reached back a few years, three, to be exact. It happened at the summer training camp during his third year at Nekoma. That was when he had met _him_. Tall, unbelievably handsome, a sharp tongue, a cute pout, enough wit to verbally destroy anybody in his path if he so chose. Tsukishima Kei was a literal whirlwind, kicking in the doors to Kuroo’s inner world, sucking up his heart and escaping with it the next minute, only to leave behind shambles of what Kuroo would have once called his emotional balance. That had been the first nail in his coffin.

“No, no, no. That won’t do.” Another piece of paper landed in the bin, an exasperated sigh acting as the accompanying background music.

Tsukishima had been very distant during that camp, but eventually he seemed to warm up to him and Bokuto. Kuroo had tried flirting with him, but to no avail. The only win he had been able to chalk up was getting Tsukishima to share his phone number. After the camp, they had stayed in contact, sporadically sending one another messages to stay updated on their lives, but Kuroo wouldn’t have called it a true friendship; rather a mutual liking located somewhere in the grey zone between acquaintances and colleagues.

After the camp, Kuroo had comforted himself by insisting that the other just wasn’t into guys, that he’d rather have a pretty lady by his side, and slowly but surely Kuroo had managed to push that crush of his to the back of his mind. In the beginning, it had worked out pretty well. Kuroo had found people to make out with at parties, he’d had some quick flirts and even a handful of one-night stands. However, the true love he was searching for still hadn’t presented itself to him to this day.

The second nail had come in the form of a text message.

**Tsukishima Kei:** _  
Remember when we talked about what I’d do after highschool?  
Well. Guess who’s starting their first term at your uni next month._  


It was one thing to get over a guy who lived hundreds of kilometres away from you. It was another thing entirely not to let that old flame flare up again and consume you just because said guy had decided to make your life even harder by moving to the same campus that you were currently residing at.

“Fuck’s sake!” He groaned out as another paper hit the bin.

After that, Kuroo had made it his personal mission to introduce Tsukishima to the city, the campus, the life as a student, basically. He helped the other with finding his classes, applying for the different courses he needed for his curriculum, showed him stores where he could get his groceries for dirt cheap, at least until he found himself a job and could afford healthier food. Kuroo himself had started working part-time at a music store where they were selling various instruments along with the necessary books for people teaching themselves if they didn’t want to take any courses. It wasn’t the most interesting job, seeing as Kuroo mainly worked in the storage room, but it paid well and was in close proximity to the campus. That was exactly why he had made Tsukishima apply for their vacant job. That, and the prospect of being able to work with the blond, really.

During their time spent together, Kuroo also had been able to gather valuable information about his crush. For one, Tsukishima _was_ into guys, and Kuroo had had a hard time not to throw his fists up in the air and yell out in excitement when he found out. This particular topic had come up during a movie night at his own place, one that Tsukishima had only agreed to partake in because he’d known Yaku would be there as well. At some point, a discussion between Yaku and Kuroo about whether the main character or the villain was more attractive had evolved into a shouting match. One, that had been quickly shut down by Tsukishima’s angry huff and a barked out 

“They’re both hot as hell and totally dateable, can we please continue watching like civilised people?!”

Another trait Kuroo had found out about Tsukishima was his insatiable need for anything sweet, be it cake, chocolates, lollipops, alcohol, or straight up a bottle of spray cream. How the blond managed to stay in shape was a complete mystery to Kuroo, but he didn’t want to be nosy and ask the other about his possible contract with the devil.

Aside from Tsukishima’s very badly hidden obsession with anything related to dinosaurs, Kuroo had also discovered a handful of endearing quirks. For example the way he scrunched up his nose when people raised their voices around him, the way he started playing with his earlobe while hunched over a very difficult passage in his textbook, or the way he started fiddling with his fingers whenever he felt nervous.

Spending all that time together, be it at work, during their breaks at uni, or, much to Kuroo’s excitement, in their free time, made Kuroo realise again just why he had started crushing on the blond in the first place and it was only getting more and more difficult to keep his feelings at bay.

That was, at least, until he’d heard Tsukishima’s genuine laugh for the first time, and all his efforts had gone to shit. It had happened on a night out with Yaku, Bokuto, who had started working at a gym right after high school, and Tsukishima’s roommate Yamaguchi. Bokuto, that traitor, had entertained everybody with a story starring Kuroo and himself, in which they had gone for a hike and Kuroo had managed to slip on gravel that had been wet and slippery from a stream running across the path, fall, slide down the slope through a multitude of bushes and be stopped by a rather squishy and, relatively speaking, soft cushion that, to Kuroo’s dismay, turned out to be an anthill. Although Tsukishima’s laughter could be linked directly to Kuroo’s pain and misery, it still made the older boy’s heart skip a beat.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Had the barkeeper dropped something? Oh, no, it was the sound of the remaining nails burying themselves deeply into the wood of Kuroo’s coffin.

From that moment on, though, Kuroo had set his mind to courting Tsukishima in such a way that there was no possible way the other wouldn’t fall madly in love with him. Which brought him right back to where he was now, hunched over his desk and trying to figure out his plan of action, the perfect undercover date to take Tsukishima on, with the goal to ask him out on a real one at the end of it. Bokuto had suggested to just go with the flow, let fate take the wheel and just enjoy the ride, and Kuroo had been close to agreeing with him, but in the end, he didn’t want to risk anything. No, he’d need to plan out every detail before he made his move.

It was four in the morning when Yaku was woken up by a triumphant shout from the room adjoining his own.

‘~’.’~’.’~’.’~’ 


	2. Preparation is key

### Preparation is key

Kuroo was idly typing away on his phone as he waited for Tsukishima to join him at his table in the cafeteria. It wasn’t long until the younger boy sat down opposite of Kuroo, putting his tray down with an exasperated sigh. “I can’t believe it. I think I’m about to lose it.” Tsukishima groaned, slipped his hands in behind his glasses to rub at his eyes. Locking and setting down his phone onto the table top, Kuroo looked up at the other with a sympathetic smile. “Rough day?”

“Rough is an understatement.” Tsukishima huffed out, “We’re doing a group project in Introduction to Anthropology and I swear, I’ve been grouped with the most useless bunch of people I’ve ever met. And I’ve spent three years with Hinata.”

Kuroo let out a snort at the other’s words, “Come on, just how bad can it really be?” This warranted a sharp glare from Tsukishima, “I’ve only just started uni like what, two months ago, and I’m already this close to quitting just because of the sheer stupidity of some of the people here.” He held up his hand, his thumb and index finger pressed together so hard that the tips were already turning pale. 

Kuroo chuckled and stole a piece of carrot from Tsukishima’s plate, “And you think you’re the only one having a hard time here? As a chemistry student I’m constantly surrounded by the worst type of nerds there is.” he snickered. “Yeah,” Tsukishima replied drily, “And you’re the worst of them all, so what’s your point?”

“Guess I don’t have a point anymore.” Kuroo snorted. “But you know what could help lift your spirits? A day off. A whole day not thinking about uni related stuff, no work, no nothing, just me, making sure you’re having a relaxing time. How does that sound?”

Tsukishima’s disapproval could easily be read from his facial expression. “I’d rather stick to locking myself up in my dorm and watching some stupid show instead of spending the day with you. From past experiences, I can already tell it’s not gonna be relaxing. Not by a long shot.”

“Tsukki, you really need to have some faith in me.” Kuroo replied and sighed deeply when Tsukishima’s only response consisted in an unimpressed look.

“No, really, I promise I’ll make it the best day you’ve ever had up until now!” Another glare was sent his way.

“Even better than the day you found out about masturbation.” Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows at the blond and promptly received a kick to the shin, his loud ‘ack!’ making a few people sitting at nearby tables turn their heads.

After rubbing his leg until the pain wasn’t as biting anymore, but rather a faint dull, Kuroo looked up at the other with a pout. “Fine, I’ll stop. For now.”

“I’d very much appreciate that.” Tsukishima muttered around a mouthful of his lunch.

They sat there in silence for a long while, Tsukishima enjoying his meal and Kuroo sulking with his head resting on the surface of the table and his eyes trained on the blond. Eventually, the younger set his cutlery down with a huff. “What? Are you going to keep staring at me like this?”

Kuroo shrugged.

“Look, can’t we just watch a movie again and leave it at that? I’m just not up for a whole day of your antics.”

Kuroo’s lower lip seemed to push itself forward a little bit while his gaze dropped down onto the table.

“Stop looking so dejected, Kuroo-san.”

A small sigh.

“Okay, fine! I’ll play along, but if I don’t enjoy myself, you owe me a week’s worth of milk tea.”

“Deal!”

‘~’.’~’.’~’.’~’

The door to Yamaguchi’s room opened silently and the boy currently sitting at his desk could hear his roommate’s footsteps as he made his way over to the bed. Yamaguchi grabbed a notebook and a pen before swivelling around in his chair and rolling over to Tsukishima, who had already laid down on the bed, rolled up in a blanket and staring at the ceiling.

“Mr. Tsukishima, it’s great to see you’ve decided to attend our sessions once more. The progress you’ve made last time was really promising, so we should keep having these conversations.”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” the blond sighed. “You’re only a few months into your psychology studies. At this point you’d do more damage than good.”

“You say that and yet you’re back.” Yamaguchi shrugged and pulled one leg up so he could rest his chin on his knee. “What happened this time?”

Tsukishima let out a quiet whine and closed his eyes. “He asked me to spend a whole day with him, and him alone, promising me it would be the most relaxing day ever.”

“Mhm… Tell me, how are you feeling about that?” he pretended to scribble down some notes.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes but let it slide. “I feel like by agreeing I put myself up for a day of emotional torture.”

“Didn’t we already have this talk about a hundred times in the last two weeks alone?” Yamaguchi sighed out. Really, he liked Tsukishima, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to put up with him for that long, but there was a limit to how often he was willing to listen to his best friend whine about Kuroo, especially since it was the very same every time.

Tsukishima let out a noise that resembled the sound of a lynx communicating with one of its kind shockingly well.

“Just go with him.” Yamaguchi huffed out and started poking the other’s cheek with his pen over and over again. “Trying to get out of it just because you’re scared you’re gonna jump him is ridiculous.”

“That’s clearly _not_ what I am scared of!”

“What else could you possibly be worried about, then?”

“That having a quick fuck is what he’s after, okay?” Tsukishima hissed out through gritted teeth, pressing the pillow he was holding even more tightly to his body. “Have you even heard what people say about him, that he’s having one-night stands left and right? I’m not planning on being another notch in his belt.”

Yamaguchi took his time mulling over Tsukishima’s worries. “Do you really think he’d be the kind of person to do that?”

The blond shrugged his shoulders. “What do I know? We’re not close.”

Considering this for only a moment, Yamaguchi eventually shook his head. “There’s only one way to find out. And if it turns out badly, you can still kick him in the nuts. How’s that?”

You’re terrible at your job.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “I think this will be our last session.” He got up and shoved the pillow into Yamaguchi’s face. “But I suppose I’ll take you up on your advice.”

“So dramatic…” Yamaguchi mumbled to himself once the door had closed behind Tsukishima on his way out, and went back to his studies.

‘~’.’~’.’~’.’~’


End file.
